Executive Dysfunction in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is characterized by an inability to control alcohol intake despite negative consequences.
• Chronic alcohol consumption is linked to cognitive deficits, including impaired information processing, skill acquisition, and planning.
• Executive functions are crucial for daily functioning and are significantly impacted by AUD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the impact of alcohol use disorder on executive functions.
• To identify specific brain regions affected by alcohol's neurotoxic effects.
• To explore the relationship between AUD, executive dysfunction, and alcohol-related dementia.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines.
• Searched databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, etc.) for studies from 2012-2022 using keywords 'alcohol use disorder' and 'executive function'.
• Included 9 full-text articles after reviewing 2242 abstracts and 61 full texts.

Main Results:

• Chronic alcohol dependence causes significant impairments across multiple cognitive domains.
• Frontal lobe damage is a common consequence of sustained alcohol consumption.
• Executive dysfunction in AUD is associated with altered prefrontal white-matter pathways and faulty large-scale network interactions.

Conclusions:

• AUD leads to widespread cognitive impairments, particularly affecting executive functions.
• Understanding these impairments is key to identifying at-risk individuals for targeted therapies.
• Neuropsychological assessment is vital for managing AUD and improving abstinence rates.